Engraving embossing rolls accurately with a repeated design



1965 v. F. DI LEO ETAL 3,2

ENGRAVING EMBOSSING ROLLS ACCURATELY WITH A REPEATED DESIGN Filed June 22, 1962 INVENTORS firs/v7 .i/Afa ATTORNEYS United States Patent ENGRAVING EMBOSSING ROLLS ACCURATELY WITH A REPEATED DESIGN Vincent F. Di Leo, Bound Brook, and Edward P. Roden, Leonardo, N.J., assignors to Modern Engraving and .lg lachine Company, Hillside, N .J a corporation of New ersey Filed June 22, 1962, Ser. No. 204,554 7 Claims. (Cl. 156-14) This invention relates to the art of embossing, and particularly to the manufacture of embossing cylinders or rolls. In even greater particularity, the invention relates to manufacturing mating embossing rolls of the type that have the same design accurately repeated a multiplicity of times on their faces or peripheries.

Many times in the manufacture of embossed labels or similar items, it is desirable to make many such items at the same time, with all of the items being duplicates of one another. This can be accomplished by repeating the desired design a number of times about the circumference and width of an embossing roll, so that when a web is embossed by the roll, one revolution of the roll will effect a large number of embossed designs, for example, 64, 8 across by 8 around.

Many times such an embossing roll, which usually coacts with a mating embossing roll, is used in conjunction with one or more spaced printing cylinders or rolls that first apply to the web one or more different colors in each of the pattern areas where color should be applied. The web then is drawn between a set of embossing rolls to eifect embossing at the desired points on the design in each of the pattern areas on the web. It is of course highly desirable that the embossing be extremely accurate so that, for example, where there is a color demarcation line that line can be embossed accurately along the desired length thereof without the change in elevation due to the embossing being to one side or the other of the color demarcation line. It is also of course desirable that each one of the impressed items on the resulting web be embossed not only in exactly the same manner but accurately from one to the other so that there are absolutely no variations from one embossed item to the next.

To effect this accuracy is an object of this invention. This is accomplished by utilizing registration procedures of a nature which will invariably cause each of the different areas on the resultant embossing roll or rolls to have the same design engraved therein without variance from one area to the next. Photoengraving from film is preferably utilized in the process of making the embossing rolls, and the film is first made to contain indexing marks. These marks, during the several steps involved in the process become indentations in the embossing roll and protrusions in a die that is used to engrave each area of the potential embossing roll, the indexing mark protrusions and indentations being in registry during the engravingprocedure.

Other objects, advantages, and embodiments of this invention will become apparent upon reading the appended claims and the following detailed description, in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 represents a piece of positive photographic I film with the design and indexing marks therein, FIGURE 2 represents a die photoengraved with the film of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 represents a mill made from the die of FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 4 illustrates a photographic negative made from the film of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 5 represents a part of a large positive film having the design and registration marks of FIGURE 1 repeated numerous times,

3,214,309 Patented Oct. 26, 1965 FIGURE 6 is an elevational view of part of a cylinder that has been photoengraved with the film of FIGURE 5,

FIGURE 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 77 of FIGURE 6, with the mill of FIGURE 3 in engraving contact with the embossing cylinder, and

FIGURE 8 is a cross-sectional view of a part of the mating embossing roll with protruding registration pins being removed.

To effect an embossed label or similar embossed item, artwork is first made to illustrate the design which is desired for the item. Once the master artwork of a single design is completed, photography is then employed to effect a matrix or contact positive of that artwork. Such a positive 10 is shown in FIGURE 1, with a diamond design image 12. At this point, a plurality of indexing marks, such as the three solid circles 14, are inked onto or otherwise effected in the piece of photographic film 10, at desired locations.

A next step is to make from the positive sing-1e design film of FIGURE 1 a die and mill. In the art, die refers to a cylindrical roll small in length, and generally also in circumference, relative to the final embossing rolls. The die is the small female cylinder or roll, the counterpart of which, in size as well as mating match is concerned, is referred to as a mill.

FIGURE 2 shows a die 16 as made from the positive film of FIGURE 1. It will be noted that this die 16 'includes apertures or indentations 18 corresponding to the respective indexing marks 14 of FIGURE 1, as well as a design indentation 20 that corresponds to the design 12 in the film of FIGURE 1. The circumference of die 16 may equal the height of the positive 10 in FIGURE 1, though preferably, as shown, its circumference is much greater, to the degree desired, for conveniently effecting the later bump engraving. Indentations are effected in the die by conventional photoengraving techniques, which may include coating a smooth, relatively soft, steel cylinder with any conventional photo-resist composition, wrapping the positive of FIGURE 1 around the coated cylinder, then exposing the so-wrapped cylinder while it is being rotated to ultra-violet light, thereby exposing all areas of the resist composition to that light except those covered by design 12 or marks 14. The film is then removed from the cylinder and the resist is conventionally washed in a liquid to remove the unexposed resist, thereby leaving a pattern of the desired design, as well as of the solid circles 14 of FIGURE 1, on the treated cylinder. The cylinder is then rotated in an acid etching bath, to eat away the metal of the cylinder and effect indentations therein corresponding to the FIGURE 1 design 12 and indexing marks 14. Generally, the etching is effected to a comparatively shallow depth, and then the design and indexing mark indentations are taken to full depth by an experienced hand tooler. The hand tool operation not only deepens the design and indexing mark indentations, but rounds them to remove any undesired sharp edges that might otherwise be present, the indexing mark indentations being punched or otherwise caused to be conical with a pointed bottom. This results in the indexing mark and design indentations 18 and 20 in the female roll or die 16 of FIGURE 2.

From the FIGURE 2 die 16 is made the FIGURE 3 male roll or mill 22. This roll has protrusions that correspond to the indentations of die 16, for example, the pin-like sharp pointed cones 24 that correspond to the indentations 18 of FIGURE 2, as well as the rounded design protrusion 26 that corresponds to the design indentation 20. The mill 22 may be made from die 16 in the conventional manner, die 16 first being case hardened, preferably by flame, for example, as well known in the art, to prevent any possible distortion of the design FIGURE 4 is made from the FIGURE 1 positive. be noted that this negative includes not only the diamond roll.

.as well as the three index mark indentations 44. There engraved therein, though full depth furnace hardening may be used if desired. Transfer of the pattern from the die to the mill may be accomplished in the same manner as described in Sunderhauf et al. Patent 2,662,002 for making a male embossing roll from the Pattern on a female embossing roll. Briefly, this process includes coating the potential mill, which is a smooth, relatively soft, steel cylinder, with an acid resist material such as an asphaltum base composition; then rotating the die and coated mill against each other under pressure to remove resist from certain regions thereof; then etching the exposed parts of the mill, leaving the unexposed parts in relief as the protrusions 24 and 26. To make these protrusions of full depth, several resist-etching cycles may be necessary, according to the height the protrusions need to be. After the mill is completely engraved, it is then hardened, as by a flame hardening process.

The mill may now be temporarily laid aside, or alternatively, the making of the die and mill may come after the shallow depth overall engraving of a large cylinder that is potentially the final female embossing roll. To effect such a roll, a photographic contact negative 28 in It will design 30 but three indexing marks 32. From this negative 28, a large matrix or positive photographic film 34, a portion of which is shown in FIGURE 5, is effected by a step and repeat process, so as to cause the positive 34 to have a desired number of equally dimensioned areas 36 across its width and along its length. Each of these areas 36 corresponds in length and width dimensions to those of the positive of FIGURE 1, and each includes the design 12 and indexing marks 14 exactly like the corresponding design and indexing marks in the original positive 10 of FIGURE 1. Dash lines are shown in FIGURE separating areas 36 from another, but on an actual positive film, such dash lines would not be present, their presence in FIGURE 5 being for the purpose of aiding visualization of the situation.

The large positive photographic film 34 is then employed to photoengrave a large, relatively soft, steel cylin- "der the circuference of which equals the height of positive film 34, while the length of the cylinder is the same as, or slightly longer, as desired, than the width of the positive film 34. The photoengraving of the cylinder proceedsexactly like that described above relative to the photoengraving of die 16 of FIGURE 2 using the positive of FIGURE 1. That is, photo-resist material is applied to a smooth cylinder which is then wrapped with the large positive film 34, ultra-violet light being used then to expose the areas of the resist composition not covered by the design and indexing marks 12 and 14. Subsequently, these unexposed portions of the resist are removed, and the exposed metal of the cylinder etched by an appropriate acid solution. Etching of the cylinder is accomplished to a relatively shallow depth, the same as for die 16. This results in the shallow depth photoengraved potential female embossing roll 38 of FIGURE 6, with a multiplicity of areas 40 as shown outlined by dash lines which, of course, do not appear on the actual In each area 40 are the design indentations 42 are a number of areas 40 axially on the face or periphery of cylinder 38, as well as circumferentially thereof. A representative example may be 8 different areas 40 across the face of the roll, and 8 around the roll, making a total of 64 design areas on the roll.

In each of the areas the design and index mark indentations have been etched only to a shallow depth, and it is now necessary to make indentations full depth. This is not accomplished by hand tooling, as was the case in deepening the etched design and index mark indentations in the die 16 of FIGURE 2, but is effected by rollingly rocking the mill 22 of FIGURE 3 under pressure back and forth a number of times against 'eaclh areas 40 of the cylinder 38 after it is coated by an asphaltum base composition or the like, with the design and index mark mill protrusions 24 and 26 respectively in engagement with the like roll indentations 44 and 42, as indicated in FIGURE 7. It is to be understood that each of the areas 40 on the cylinder 38 is operated on by mill 22 in this manner one after the other, following which the cylinder areas removed by the mill are acid etched. In effecting this engraving, sometimes referred to as bump engraving, the deepening of the indentations in the large cylinder 38 is effected by one or more cycles of resist coating, rocking and etching, with at least the initial registration of the male design on the mill and the female design on the large cylinder being determined by cooperation rebetween the pins 24 and apertures 44.

Once the female embossing roll is fully engraved by mill 22, it is generally hardened as by the flame hardening technique referred to above, and it may then be used with a smooth back-up roll to effect embossing in some instances. However, to obtain better embossing effects, it is preferable to utilize a male embossing roll with the female embossing roll. A male embossing roll may be made from the female embossing roll in the same manner as fully described in the above mentioned Sunderhauf et al. Patent 2,662,002. Because the female embossing roll has the design indentation 42, and also the registration apertures or indentations 44 of full depth, the relatively soft, steel cylinder that results in the male embossing roll 46 shown in FIGURE 8 has not only the design protrusion 48 but protruding pins 50. Of course, the design protrusion 48 is desired, but the pins 50 are not since the web which is to be employed by the rolls must not include embossing by the pins 50 and apertures 44. Therefore, as indicated in FIGURE 8, pins 50 are removed at their base from the embossing roll 46, by knocking them off the cylinder. This leaves nothing to mate the apertures 44 in the female embossing roll 38 of FIGURE 7, so the effect of those apertures during the embossing of a Web is negligible if not non-existent. If desired, the areas of the male embossing roll 46, where pins 50 are knocked off, may be ground smooth if such is necessary under any given set of conditions.

The male embossing roll 46 is then hardened as by the flame hardening process above indicated. This gives to the male embossing roll 46, as it did to the female embossing roll 38, a surface hardening. Under certain circumstances, it may be desirable to have embossing rolls that are full depth hardened rather than just case hardened. If such is desired, the cylinder which is to be made into the male embossing roll 46 can be pre-hardened to full depth, and then after it is engraved and pins 50 removed, it may in turn be employed to make a pre-hardened female embossing roll. In this manner, two fully hardened embossing rolls are made available. This technique is described and claimed in the copending application of Robert F. Nelson, Serial No. 668,377, filed June 27, 1957, now Patent No. 3,048,512, issued August 7, 1962.

Whether the resultant single embossing roll or mating embossing rolls are case hardened or fully hardened, it will be apparent that each one of the different design areas thereon is exactly the same as every other, because each is the result of utilizing the same FIGURE 3 mill in exactly the same relative position in each of the different areas.

Therefore, every label or such item that is produced onto a web by the embossing roll or rolls made in accordance with this invention will be embossed exactly the same as every other item that is embossed onto the same or another web by the same embossing roll or rolls.

It is therefore apparent that the objects and advantages that variations in the process may be accomplished without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A process for manufacturing an embossing roll having a desired plurality of equally dimensioned peripheral areas containing the same design, comprising the steps of producing a plurality of indexing marks in an area of a matrix containing said design, at least two of said marks being respectively located toward opposite edges of said area which area has the same dimensions as each of the aforesaid peripheral areas with the design being positioned in the matrix area the same as the design is in said peripheral areas, engraving with the use of said matrix a first cylinder to effect a die having on its periphery an area with indentations corresponding to said design and indexing marks, using said die to make a second cylinder of the same size as the first cylinder into a mill having on its periphery design and indexing mark protrusions corresponding to the aforesaid indentations on said die, making from said matrix a second matrix having the same number and size areas as desired for the said embossing roll with each such area of the second matrix containing said design and indexing marks, engraving with the use of said second matrix to a relatively shallow depth a third cylinder to efiect therein the aforesaid desired plurality of the peripheral areas with each such area in the said cylinder containing design and indexing mark indentations, and then deepening said third cylinder areas by sequentially rockingly engraving same by said mill with the said indexing mark protrusions on the mill in registry respee tively with the said indexing mark indentations of the third cylinder area being instantly engraved by the mill to effect the aforesaid embossing roll.

2. A process as in claim 1 and further including making a second embossing roll from the first mentioned embossing roll to effect protrusions on the second embossing roll that mate with the design and indexing mark indentations of each area of the first mentioned embossing roll, and removing from the second embossing roll each of the indexing mark protrusions.

3. A process for manufacturing an embossing roll having'a desired plurality of equally dimensioned peripheral areas containing the same design, comprising the steps of producing in a first photographic film, in an area thereof containing an image of said design and of equal dimensions as each of the aforesaid peripheral areas, a plurality of indexing marks at least two ofwhich are respectively disposed toward opposite edges of said area, photoengraving with said film and then hand tooling a first cylinder to effect a die having on its periphery indentations corresponding to said design and indexing marks, using said die to make a second cylinder of the same size as the said first cylinder into a mill having on its periphery design and indexing mark protrusions corresponding to the aforesaid indentations on the die, making from said first film a second photographic film having the same number and size areas as desired for the said embossing roll with each such area of the second film containing said design and indexing marks, photoengraving With said second film and to a relatively shallow depth a third cylinder to effect therein the aforesaid desired plurality of peripheral areas with each such area in the third cylinder containing design and indexing mark indentations, and then deepening said third cylinder areas by sequentially rockingly engraving same with said mill with the said indexing mark protrusions on the mill in registry respectively with the said indexing mark indentations of the third cylinder area being instantly engraved by the mill to efiect the aforesaid embossing roll.

4. A process as in claim 3 and further including making from said embossing roll a second embossing roll of the same size as the first mentioned embossing roll and mated therewith, said second embossing roll including protrusions corresponding to the design and indexing mark indentations of the first mentioned embossing roll, and removing from said second embossing roll each of the indexing mark protrusions.

5. A process as in claim 3 wherein the said first and second photographic films are positive films, the second film being a photographic step and repeat of a negative of the said first positive film.

6. A process as in claim 3 including producing the said indexing mark protrusions on said mill as conical points before the mill is used to engrave the said third cylinder as aforesaid.

7. A process as in claim 6 including conically tooling the said indexing mark indentations on said die before using the die to make the mill as aforesaid.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,226,987 12/40 Wiegand.

2,662,002 12/53 Sunderhauf et a1.

2,711,031 6/55 Kessler.

3,005,364 10/61 Broderick 101-28 3,042,996 7/62 Nelson 29-148.4

EARL M. BERGERT, Primary Examiner. JACOB STEINBERG, Examiner. 

1. A PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING AN EMBOSSING ROLL HAVING A DESIRED PLURALITY OF EQUALLY DIMENSIONED PERIPHERAL AREAS CONTAINING THE SAME DESIGN, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF PRODUCING A PLURALITY OF INDEXING MARKS IN AN AREA OF A MATRIX CONTAINING SAID DESIGN, AT LEAST TWO OF SAID MARKS BEING RESPECTIVELY LOCATED TOWARD OPPOSITE EDGES OF SAID AREA WHICH AREA HAS THE SAME DIMENSIONS OF EACH OF THE AFORESAID PERIPHERAL AREAS WITH THE DESIGN IS IN SAID PERIPHERAL AREAS, ENGRAVING WITH THE USE OF SAID MATRIX A FIRST CYLINDER TO EFFECT A DIE HAVING ON ITS PERIPHERY AN AREA WITH INDENTATIONS CORRESPONDING TO SAID DESIGN AND INDEXING MARKS, USING SAID DIE TO MAKE A SECOND CYLINDER OF THE SAME SIZE AS THE FIRST CYLINDER INTO A MILL HAVING ON ITS PERIPHERY DESIGN AND INDEXING MARK PROTRUSIONS CORRESPONDING TO THE AFORESAID INDENTATIONS ON SAID DIE, MAKING FROM SAID MATRIX A SECOND MATRIX HAVING THE SAME NUMBER AND SIZE AREAS AS DESIRED FOR THE SAID EMBOSSING ROLL WITH EACH SUCH AREA OF THE SECOND MATRIX CONTAINING SAID DESIGN AND INDEXING MARKS, ENGRAVING WITH THE USE OF SAID SECOND MATRIX TO A RELATIVELY SHALLOW DEPTH A THIRD CYLINDER TO EFFECT THEREIN THE AFORESAID DESIRED PLURALITY OF THE PERIPHERAL AREAS WITH EACH SUCH AREA IN THE SAID CYLINDER CONTAINING DESIGN AND INDEXING MARK INDENTATIONS, AND THEN DEEPING SAID THIRD CYLINDER AREAS BY SEQUENTIALLY ROCKINGLY ENGRAVING SAME BY SAID MILL WITH THE SAID INDEXING MARK PROTRUSIONS ON THE MILL IN REGISTRY RESPECTIVELY WITH THE SAID INDEXING MARK INDENTATIONS OF THE THIRD CYLINDER AREA BEING INSTANTLY ENGRAVED BY THE MILL TO EFFECT THE AFORESAID EMBOSSING ROLL. 